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Could occupational therapy enhance your quality of life?

Get your life back by learning new ways to do once-simple activities that are now challenging.

Published: July, 2016

Image: McIninch/Thinkstock

Occupational therapy (OT) is well known as part of recovery for people who've had a stroke or surgery: it helps them relearn everyday activities and adjust to doing them differently. But OT can also make a difference for people struggling with the physical changes that accompany aging, such as hand arthritis or hip or knee problems that cause pain and problems with mobility. "We teach people how to approach activities differently so they can keep pain under control while doing what they want to do. It's all about maintaining independence," says Allison Pinsince, an occupational therapist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

How OT works

Your primary care physician or a specialist, such as a bone doctor, can refer you for occupational therapy. A course of OT typically lasts three to four weeks and is usually covered by most insurance plans, including Medicare.

Daily Health Tip

Don't sit so much

Sitting for long stretches of time increases the odds of illness and untimely death. Here are some simple tricks to get yourself out of your chair: While you're on the phone, stand up and walk around. When watching TV, stand and pace during commercials. Instead of sitting at your makeup table, stand up. In general, try to get on your feet every 30 minutes.